There is growing pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes. A large hydrogen production plant may produce up to 900,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, thus it may be considered a significant source of carbon dioxide.
In Europe, Canada, and California, carbon dioxide reduction regulations are being phased in gradually. This means that greenhouse gas (GHG) legislation remains a key consideration in projects in the 2012-2015 timeframe. The current understanding on this issue is that new plants will have to plan for carbon dioxide capture but may not be required to install and operate such systems at the project on-stream date. Therefore, industry desires a flexible carbon dioxide capture ready design that may be implemented when needed.
Industry desires to produce hydrogen by steam-hydrocarbon reforming while capturing carbon dioxide thereby decreasing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions.
Industry desires to adjust the amount of carbon dioxide capture based on regulations and economics.
Industry desires an energy efficient large-scale hydrogen production process with decreased carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional processes.